Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - May 2, 2012
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
May 2, 2012 at the Temporary City Council Chambers in Quincy City Hall.
Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch,
Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. Dave McCarthy, and
Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair Presiding
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There was a moment of silence in memory of Absalom Ochieng, a student at Quincy
High School; Alyse Kenney, retired secretary at North Quincy High School; Grace
Cunningham, cafeteria employee at Quincy High School; and Robert Lewis, a
Science teacher at Central Middle School for 34 years.
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The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present were:
Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Messrs. Cordero,
Draicchio, McGuire, Mullaney, Mulvey, Murphy, Santoro, Keith Segalla, Taglieri,
Tandy, Timmins; Ms. Barrett, Ms. Busey, Ms. Ingraham, Ms. Kabakov, Ms. Kane,
Ms. MacNeil, Mrs. Papile, Mrs. Roberts, Ms. Schneller, Ms. Todd; Ms. Allison Cox,
President, Quincy Education Association; and Mrs. Tracey Christello, Citywide
Parents’ Council Representative.
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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
4/4/2012
Mayor Koch made a motion, seconded by Mr. Bregoli, to approve the regular
session minutes for April 4, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Executive Session Minutes Approved
4/4/2012
Mrs. Mahoney made a motion, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, to approve the Executive
Session minutes for April 4, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Open Forum
Mr. Aidan McMorrow, student at Quincy High School, proposed allowing student
athletes to fill their Physical Education requirements by playing a team sport in all
three seasons rather than attending Physical Education classes, with their parents’
permission and maintenance of appropriate grade point average.
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Superintendent’s Report
The Superintendent opened his remarks by introducing Assistant Superintendent
Colleen Roberts who spoke about the Foreign Language Poster, Essay, and
Public Service Announcement Contest for Middle and High School students. The
theme was “Language Learning in the 21st Century: Everyone, Every Day,
Everywhere.” Mrs. Roberts introduced the High School Department heads Aliza
Schneller from North Quincy High School and Edie Kabakov from Quincy High
School. Ms. Kabakov introduced the Foreign Language teachers from both high
schools and the Essay Contest winners: Annie Liang (1
st place), Boriana Tzvetkova
(2nd place) from North Quincy High School and Denissa Touma (1st place) and
Lindsay Schrier (2
nd place) from Quincy High School. After the first-place winners
read their essays, Ms. Schneller introduced Kasey Shen from North Quincy High
School, creator of the winning Public Service Announcement, which was shown for
the School Committee. Next, Broad Meadows Spanish teacher Alicia Kane
introduced the members of the Middle School Foreign Language team present:
Ricardo Cordero, Brian Tandy, Jill Busey, Kendall Ingraham. Mr. Cordero then
introduced the Middle School Poster Contest winners: Katryna Veasy, Atlantic;
Carmen Huang and Jia Xin Wang, Broad Meadows; Elizabeth Huynh, Julie Nguyen,
Central; Ridha Khawar, Point Webster; Tiffany Pham and Stephanie Zeng from
Sterling.
After a brief recess for the School Committee members to greet the contest winners
and teachers, the Superintendent continued with his report. Announcements of
upcoming events included Quincy High School graduation on Monday, June 4 and
North Quincy High School on Tuesday, June 5; Cleaner Greener on Saturday, May 5;
and the 15th Annual Community Service Learning Breakfast on Friday, May 4. In
celebration of Department of Public Works week, fifth grade students and their art
teachers from each of the elementary schools created banners that are hanging on
Hancock Street outside City Hall. Eleven schools were also awarded Beautification
Grants by the Department of Public Works. Squantum School held their
Multicultural Fair on April 25; the Superintendent thanked the school’s staff for their
work on the event. The HYPER Robotics team recently competed in St. Louis
against over 400 teams from across the United States and Canada. The
Superintendent also introduced the Summer Scene brochure highlighting the
enrichment programs available to students at all grades. For spring athletics, over
400 students are participating on thirty-three varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen
teams and over 400 middle school students are competing in the track program.
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New Business
School Choice
Mr. McCarthy made a motion that the Quincy School Committee withdraws from the
obligation to enroll non-resident students in the Quincy Public Schools for the
2012-2013 academic year for the following reasons: (1) Continued projected
enrollment conditions at the elementary and middle schools based on current and
projected enrollments; (2) Policy of the Quincy School Committee to adhere to class
size guidelines. Mayor Koch inquired about whether there were many requests
for enrollment from outside Quincy and whether surrounding cities and towns
have accepted this policy. Superintendent DeCristofaro clarified that a few requests
are received each year and that most of the neighboring towns do not participate in
School Choice. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes
have it 7-0.
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District Improvement Plan: Timeline and Professional Development Plan
Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts presented next on District Improvement
Plan components the District Improvement Timeline and Professional Development
Plan. The goal of the Quincy Public Schools Professional Development Plan, as
directed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, is to support the
implementation of the state curriculum frameworks through standards-based
curriculum, instruction, and assessment practice. Professional Development is a
career-long process in which educators fine-tune their teaching and instructional
practices to enhance the ability of the educator to improve student learning. The three
intents of effective professional development are to expand the educators’ knowledge
of subject matter, increase the teachers’ knowledge of standards-based curriculum;
and to analyze and reduce the gap between the goals for student achievement and
students’ actual progress. Elements of an effective Professional Development Plan
include focus on clearly defined goals and priorities, activities that are coordinated
across the district, aligns resources with district academic goals, establishes a positive
culture of collegiality in a team-based climate (no isolation), and allows for the
evaluation of the courses and activities at the conclusion.
As each Professional Development course or activity is considered, it must meet
criteria: align with district and school improvement goals, encourage teams of
teachers working together, focus on content knowledge, provide support throughout
the school year, include follow-up activities in the classroom, and align with
curriculum frameworks. It is also important is to directly connect Professional
Development to students and utilize in-class observation. Types of Professional
Development include on-site (building-based, by content -- vertical teams and/or
grade levels); system-wide and contractual (Assessment Days); outside of school time
(after school, weekends, summer). After each Professional Development activity is
completed, feedback forms are reviewed by Mrs. Roberts and Superintendent’s
Leadership Team members so that any needed adjustments can be made to meet the
participants’ needs. In the past school year, over 1,500 participants have taken part in
the courses and activities offered, with many educators taking more than one. In the
next school year, Professional Development will be focused on the Common Core
State Standards transition and new Assessments. Mrs. Roberts thanked the many
people who write grant proposals, including Mary Fredrickson, Maura Papile, Judy
Todd, Edie Hughes, Keith Segalla, Beth Hallett and many teachers and principals.
Mrs. Roberts concluded by noting that Quincy Public Schools is proud of the
Professional Development offered to the staff. By continually reflecting on and
assessing the offerings to meet the needs of the staff, this positively reflects on our
classroom instruction.
Mrs. Lebo asked about whether Professional Development products are shared across
school sites. Mrs. Roberts talked about Staff Academy as the vehicle for sharing
lesson plans, and Mr. Segalla and the Educational Technology team will add this to
their ongoing website enhancements. Mrs. Lebo asked about the new high school
Assessments and whether they were going to be course-specific or integrated; Mrs.
Roberts said that the PARCC group still has not made a decision. Mrs. Lebo also
asked about the new Educator Evaluation regulations and Professional Development
for this transition. Mrs. Roberts has invited all administrators to a workshop
sponsored by the South Shore Educational Collaborative. DESE is also vetting
companies who will provide Professional Development on this topic.
Mr. McCarthy thanked Mrs. Roberts and complimented the Teaching and Learning
Subcommittee for keeping up with all of the changes. He complimented Mrs.
Roberts and her predecessors’ efforts in growing Professional Development over his
years on School Committee. Mrs. Roberts thanked the QEA, teachers, and
administrators for their collaboration in developing the Professional Development
plan. Dr. DeCristofaro noted that this was an example of how these collaborative
efforts serve the best interests of the children in the school system.
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Additional Business
Mr. McCarthy spoke about the April 26 Vietnam Veterans Day services that were
held recently to re-dedicate several squares and the Marina Bay clock tower
memorial. Mr. McCarthy particularly noted the Merrymount School students who
took part in the George Underwood Memorial re-dedication. Each grade sang a
patriotic song and one student played the saxophone. Mr. McCarthy also commended
the Mayor for 25th anniversary recognition booklet commemorating the forty-eight
Quincy casualties of the Vietnam conflict.
Mrs. Mahoney complimented Mr. Aidan McMorrow, the Quincy High School student
who presented at Open Forum, and made a motion to put his suggestion about
exempting three-season student athletes from the Physical Education requirement into
Policy Subcommittee for consideration. The motion was seconded by Mayor Koch
and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Lebo commented on the positive coverage of Quincy Public Schools in the press
in recent days, citing the Patriot Ledger stories about the Fashion Technology and
Teen Mothers programs and the Superintendent’s mother Mrs. Betty DeCristofaro’s
recent award as Citizen of the Year by the Quincy Sun.
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Reports of Special Committees
Central Building Committee
Mrs. Mahoney spoke briefly of the Central Building Committee’s last meeting on
Monday, April 9, 2012. She then asked City Solicitor Jim Timmins to address the
School Committee on the recent challenge to the City’s Responsible Employer
Ordinance (REO) by the Merit Alliance. Merit Alliance filed and was granted an
injunction, so no action could be taken with the subcontractor and general contractor
bids until the judge made her decision. The City negotiated to temporarily suspend
the terms of the REO until the court case is resolved in the fall and on Friday, April
27, all contractors were notified that they could resubmit their bids. This delay will
impact the project completion from the initial schedule, but the new Central Middle
School is still on schedule to open for the start of school in September 2013.
Mr. McCarthy asked for a projection for best case scenario for construction to begin
on the school. Mr. Timmins estimated early June. Mrs. Mahoney asked for
clarification about whether there were any parts of the REO still in force. Mr.
Timmins said that all five sections of the original REO had been suspended for this
project; the REO is on the City’s books and it may need to be amended by the City
Council, but this will not happen until the litigation is completed. Mrs. Mahoney
asked about using Project Labor Agreements (PLA), which Mr. Timmins felt was not
a viable option. City Solicitor Timmins is hopeful that the City will succeed in court
based on the need for a trained apprentice program because of the impact on future
public projects. Mrs. Lebo asked about including co-op positions for Quincy High
School Career and Technical Education students on construction projects.
Mayor Koch concluded by thanking City Solicitor Timmins for his update and
clarifying this very confusing issue. He reiterated the City’s commitment to the
REO’s apprentice program and the residency requirement. He clarified that there is
no effect on the Quincy Center project, the union agreement with CityWorks is a
private agreement.
Mr. McCarthy asked whether the issue with the Winfield Elm tree has been resolved;
City Solicitor Timmins stated as there are no wetlands implications here, there is no
legal issue. Mayor Koch mentioned that he is meeting with interested parties about
the tree in the near future, but given the issues about the site grading, it will not be
feasible to work out retaining this tree and it is cost-prohibitive to consider moving it.
The Mayor reiterated that the recent delay for the REO court case will not
substantially delay the opening of the new Central Middle School.
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Facilities and Security Subcommittee
Mr. McCarthy summarized the April 11, 2012 Facilities and Security Subcommittee
meeting regarding the proposed School Maintenance department merger with the
Public Building Department. The meeting was attended by Maintenance department
union leadership. The Mayor opened the meeting by noting that the Public Building
Department staff already spends the majority of its time on the Quincy Public
Schools, either on new construction or the capital improvement projects. He cited the
Parks Department assumption of the maintenance of school grounds and the current
collaboration between Quincy Public Schools and the City Information Technology
Departments as positive examples of interdepartment collaboration. The Mayor
reiterated that as the Chair of the School Committee, Quincy Public Schools is his
priority. The total number of buildings to be maintained by the new department will
be fifty-two (eighteen of which are schools). The Maintenance department union
leadership are satisfied with the proposed new structure; their main concern is the
Adopt a Project policy. Mr. Murphy stated his interest in retaining the current work
order management system; he is concerned about electrical work, as there is currently
a backlog in this area. Mayor Koch clarified that while the number of buildings the
Maintenance Department is responsible for is doubling, the square footage of the
school buildings far outweighs the square footage of the majority of the city
buildings. The next Facilities and Security Subcommittee meeting is Tuesday, May
15. Mr. McCarthy has requested that Mr. Murphy present on the current work order
system, the number of items in process, and summer projects.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the minutes of April 11, 2012 Facilities and
Security Subcommittee meeting. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice
vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Mahoney made a motion to move Adopt a Project to Policy Subcommittee for
review. Mayor Koch seconded motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mr. McCarthy then summarized the Thursday, April 19, 2012 Facilities and Security
Subcommittee meeting which focused on the renovation of Coddington Hall into
administrative offices for the Quincy Public Schools and several City of Quincy
departments, including Planning and Information Technology. At the meeting, there
was a presentation by Wessling Architects, the same presentation that was done for
the City Council earlier in April. Wessling Architects has approached the renovation
plan for Coddington Hall from a historic perspective; the plan is to modernize the
facility while retaining historic details. The building has no structural issues, and
bearing walls will be retained within the building. Mechanical systems (electrical,
HVAC, plumbing) will all be replaced, along with the windows.
The basement level will house the City and School Information Technology
Departments, along with storage and shared conference spaces. The first floor will
house Custodial, Transportation and Security, Athletics, Business, Personnel, and
public spaces including a large conference room and the School Committee meeting
room. The second floor will have the Special Education, Curriculum, Student
Support and Health Services departments, Assistant Superintendent and
Superintendent’s offices. The third floor will be home to the City’s Planning
Department.
For the building’s exterior, work will be done to restore the slate roof, replace the
copper gutters and downspouts, and repoint brick where needed. The building’s
landscaping will be redone to blend with neighboring structures and signage added.
In terms of parking, the lot can hold 98 cars and will be secured access. Other
possibilities for parking in garage or at Quincy High School will be explored for
overflow and visitor parking.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve minutes for the April 19, 2012 Facilities and
Security Subcommittee Meeting and asked whether the School Committee needs to
vote to move the project forward? Mayor Koch replied that this would be
advantageous.
On the motion, Mrs. Mahoney expressed concern about the dedicated School
Committee meeting room. Mrs. Mahoney asked to be on the record that she does not
agree with the need for this public space, given the space available at Quincy High
School and the new Central Middle School. She asked that the meeting minutes be
amended to replace the second page, first paragraph, fifth sentence with the
following: Mrs. Mahoney expressed concern about the overall cost for the project,
the value of the dedicated School Committee room (and the funding source for the
attendant Audio/Visual equipment needed), and whether there was space for growth
within the floor plan.
Ms. Isola reminded the School Committee that the floor plans presented were not
final and her understanding is that what School Committee would vote on is the
concept of moving the Quincy Public Schools administrative offices to a renovated
Coddington Hall.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the minutes for the April 19, 2012 Facilities
and Security Subcommittee as amended. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a
voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mayor Koch reviewed the process for selecting Coddington Hall as a candidate for
renovation. He stressed the accessibility of this location as opposed to the current
location, noted the positives of having dedicated School Committee space, and
mentioned that the Comcast account can be utilized to pay for equipment. The bond
is before City Council for approval; if plans are finalized in June, bids can be solicited
and contracts executed over the summer, with a goal to begin construction in Fall
2012.
Mr. McCarthy asked about the Saville Avenue houses; Mayor Koch clarified that the
Public Building department would remain there for the time being and that the houses
may be used for other departments at a later date. Mrs. Mahoney asked if a vote may
have already happened to move into the Coddington Hall building last spring; she
feels that $9.8 million is excessive for this renovation and that this is difficult to agree
to given the cuts Quincy Public Schools has faced in recent years. Mr. McCarthy
disagrees that a vote was already taken and stated that since the building needs a
complete renovation, the city will have to address the issue whether it is the home of
Quincy Public Schools administrative offices or not. Mayor Koch stressed that the
costs of the renovations are largely for the envelope of the building: windows, roof,
brickwork, utilities, Americans with Disability Act compliance; this is a historic
structure that allows for Community Preservation funds to be utilized. This is money
borrowed through long-term debt service; declining to move to Coddington Hall
would not add $9.8 million to the Quincy Public Schools budget.
Mr. McCarthy then made a motion to approve the concept of Coddington Hall being
renovated to serve as the administrative offices for the Quincy Public Schools and
Superintendent of Schools. The motion was seconded by Mayor Koch and on a roll
call vote, the motion passed 6-1. Mrs. Mahoney voted NO.
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Policy Subcommittee
Mr. Bregoli then reviewed the April 30, 2012 Policy Subcommittee meeting, held
to discuss the proposed Community Service pilot. Following the last Policy meeting
on March 19, Mr. Bregoli and Dr. DeCristofaro met with the two High School
principals and the class presidents from grades 9 through 12 to discuss Community
Service. The student leaders were enthusiastic and made suggestions. Many clubs
and organizations are already doing community service. A Community Service
directory and guide will need to be developed, as well as finalizing the Community
Service Reporting form, revising the School Committee policy booklet and adding the
information to the POS books for both High Schools.
Drafts of a Community Service overview, the School Committee Policy change, and
the student record form were shared with the Subcommittee. Dr. DeCristofaro spoke
about the management and recording of Community Service hours being the key
issue – who will clear the problems and approve projects that are outside the scope of
what is pre-approved. There was a discussion about whether Community Service
hours could count for multiple purposes, i.e., both towards the graduation requirement
and for ROTC. Mr. Mulvey reiterated the contents of the memo he sent to the School
Committee on April 4, outlining his review of relevant recent cases and his opinion
that there are no legal issues involved in implementing this policy. Dr. DeCristofaro
stressed that we have to guarantee that we give enough support to the staff as they
implement this. Quincy Public Schools is a larger school system than many of the
other school systems who have already implemented Community Service.
Mr. Bregoli made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 30, 2012 Policy
Subcommittee. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hubley and on a voice vote, the
ayes have it.
Mr. McCarthy expressed concern about the work needed to develop the list of preapproved agencies and the simultaneous rollout of all four grades. Mrs. Lebo
expressed support for Community Service in general, but is opposed to adding this as
a graduation requirement, given the changing standards related to Common Core
State Standards. Mr. Bregoli said that from the meetings at the high schools, it
appears that most students are already doing some form of Community Service and
this is formalizing what is already done. Dr. DeCristofaro said there may be a way to
compromise on what students receive credit for; he suggested giving credit for inschool activities. Mayor Koch has concerns about mandating Community Service
and it potentially affecting students’ ability to graduate. Ms. Isola feels that we need
to set high standards for all of our students, but wants this to succeed. Dr.
DeCristofaro offered to revisit the Community Service overview and other
documents. Mrs. Lebo suggested School Committee members send their thoughts to
Mr. Bregoli and Dr. DeCristofaro.
Mr. Bregoli announced that an additional Policy meeting will be held prior to the
June 13, 2012 School Committee meeting to discuss Conflict of Interest and High
School Field Trip Policies.
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Retirements
The School Committee noted the following retirements :
Assistant Principals: Linda Billikas, William Bloomer
Attendance Officer: Wayne Wirick
CoordinatorsL Janice Erler, Edith Hughes
Guidance Counselors: Jane Cotter, Albert Moscaritolo, Kathleen Sawkiewicz
Media Specialist: Christine Desaulniers
Teachers: Nancy Brennan, Helen Dooner, Michael Dowd, Kathleen Meade, Carol Ryan
Resignation
The School Committee noted the following resignation:
Teacher Paige VanGombos
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Adjournment
On a motion by Mayor Koch, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, the School Committee
adjourned at 9:45 p.m. for the evening. There was no Executive Session.
The ayes have it.